Stern Pinball unlocks the factory floor for paid Insider Connected subscribers

Stern Pinball has announced that paid subscribers to its Insider Connected service can now schedule free guided tours of its manufacturing facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. As detailed in the February Stern of the Union address, this new perk is available exclusively to "All-Access" members, marking a significant shift in how the company engages with its most dedicated collectors.

The new benefit allows a paid subscriber to book one free factory tour per year, which includes admission for themselves and one guest. If you want to bring a larger party, additional guests can tag along for $25 per person. The one-hour guided walkthrough promises a behind-the-scenes look at the assembly line, tracking the production process from initial wiring harnesses to the final playfield assembly.

The Willy Wonka of Elk Grove

For the uninitiated, a modern pinball factory is a chaotic miracle of engineering. While video game development happens largely on screens, pinball manufacturing involves thousands of physical parts, miles of wiring, and a surprising amount of hand-assembly. Stern Pinball remains the largest manufacturer of arcade-quality pinball machines in the world, having outlasted historic rivals like Williams and Bally to become the de facto standard-bearer for the medium.

The tour offers a look at how machines like the recently released Star Wars: Fall of the Empire (2025) and the Keith Elwin-designed Godzilla (2021) come together. Seeing a playfield populated with solenoids and ramps before it's dropped into a cabinet is the sort of technical voyeurism that appeals to anyone who has ever opened up a PC just to look at the cable management.

Gamifying the Hardware

This move is a clever way to add tangible value to the Insider Connected platform. Launched in 2021, Insider Connected is essentially Xbox Live for pinball machines. It uses QR code readers installed on the machine's apron to let players log in, track high scores, earn achievements, and participate in global leaderboards. While the free tier tracks stats, the paid "All-Access" tier has largely been about exclusive quests and digital cosmetics until now.

By tying factory access to the subscription, Stern is bridging the gap between the digital ecosystem and the physical reality of the hobby. It transforms a monthly digital fee into a physical ticket, assuming you are willing to make the pilgrimage to the Chicago suburbs.

The February update also highlighted Stern's presence at CES 2026, where they showcased the medium's resilience in a sea of AI gadgets and smart toasters. Additionally, the company is rolling out new community quests for Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, encouraging players to explore the 2025 table's deeper rule sets. But let's be honest: the real draw here is the chance to see where the silverball sausage is made without having to sneak in through a loading dock.